<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p> Originally the Adoro te devote was not a liturgical hymn but a prayer, probably intended by Thomas Aquinas for personal use when attending mass. Quoting the at present most reliable version of the poem, the author studies Adoro te devote from the angle of transformation: poetic, Eucharistic and mystic or eschatological transformation. Structure and form are analysed, and a number of themes discussed: two alternative interpretations of adoration, several concepts of truth intended in the poem, the good thief and doubting Thomas as symbols of moral and spiritual imperfection, and (present and future) living in connection, in union with God.</p></abstract>

Originally the Adoro te devote was not a liturgical hymn but a prayer, probably intended by Thomas Aquinas for personal use when attending mass. Quoting the at present most reliable version of the poem, the author studies Adoro te devote from the angle of transformation: poetic, Eucharistic and mystic or eschatological transformation. Structure and form are analysed, and a number of themes discussed: two alternative interpretations of adoration, several concepts of truth intended in the poem, the good thief and doubting Thomas as symbols of moral and spiritual imperfection, and (present and future) living in connection, in union with God.

Eucharistic Transformation. Thomas Aquinas’ Adoro Te Devote

Associate professor of systematic theology as well as director of the Thomas Instituut te Utrecht at Tilburg University,

Perichoresis

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

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Originally the Adoro te devote was not a liturgical hymn but a prayer, probably intended by Thomas Aquinas for personal use when attending mass. Quoting the at...

Eucharistic Transformation. Thomas Aquinas’ Adoro Te Devote

Published Online: Oct 13, 2016

Page range: 67 - 79

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/perc-2016-0011

Keywords
Eucharist, poetry, Thomas Aquinas, systematic Theology, liturgy

© 2016

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Eucharistic Transformation. Thomas Aquinas’ Adoro Te Devote

Published Online: Oct 13, 2016

Page range: 67 - 79

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/perc-2016-0011

KeywordsEucharist, poetry, Thomas Aquinas, systematic Theology, liturgy

© 2016

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Keywords
Eucharist, poetry, Thomas Aquinas, systematic Theology, liturgy